Revelation
by smileysgoboing
Summary: Idea for this plot goes to Ninja Lemon. One-shot on how Katsa discovers her Grace.


Revelation

The young girl sighed quietly. It was almost time to dine with the king, and the families he chose to elevate into his inner circle. She was not anxious to go, for she had overheard the servants whispering about some relative visiting the court. Then again, she was never anxious to go, for everyone would stare, or whisper, and she would stare back, and the whole room would be quiet. The dinners were always an awkward affair when she was there.

Still, she could not disobey Randa's barely hidden order to attend the banquet. Steeling herself for everyone's reaction, Katsa walked into the hall, her face a blank mask.

It was strange, this dinner. Katsa expected silence. Whispers, if they dared talk about her while she was there. Most definitely stares. She hated the way everyone glanced at her, as if she was some dangerous animal of some sort. She hated that when she met their eyes, they looked away. No one looked her in the eyes. No one. Katsa was the king's Graceling niece, a common topic of the court's gossip.

She was wrong, about what would happen. It was almost unnatural, the way the attention was drawn to Randa and the man beside him. As she had expected, the room had gone quiet – but not for the reason she had thought. All conversation ceased as the man beside Randa stopped talking, and looked straight into Katsa's eyes. There was something almost predatory in them, the way this man looked at her. She glared back. This must be the relative – some distant cousin of hers. She had heard little serving girls crying when they came back from serving him.

A voice interrupted the silence. "Katsa, my dear niece," the king called. _Dear niece,_ Katsa thought angrily. What a liar he was. "Why don't you come dine with myself and Lord Aaron? Lord Aaron is your cousin, son of your mother's oldest brother."

It was so rare that anyone talked about her mother, but Randa was in a good mood tonight. Perhaps he would tell her more about her family, if she sat near him. She despised sitting next to him.

"Of course, Lord King."

Katsa took a deep breath to still her anger and excitement, and smiled sweetly. She walked calmly to her uncle's side, and when she arrived, the cousin – Lord Aaron – smiled at her, gestured for her to sit beside him. Katsa scowled. There was something about this man that made her instincts scream at her to stop, hit the man, run away – anything to get away from this cousin, but she sat beside him.

Katsa didn't like this cousin.

The dinner was over, and the guests were talking quietly amongst themselves. Katsa sat quietly in the corner, waiting until she could be excused. As much as she hated the fancy dinners Randa held once a week, she decided that she hated this cousin of hers more. His perfume – a sickly sweet stench – overpowered her sense of smell the entire dinner, but still, it wasn't the worst. Katsa disliked his eyes next. They were constantly searching, staring, and full of a strange emotion she couldn't identify. It was worse when he looked at her. But what was worse was the way he treated the serving girls. Katsa didn't like them, for they always stared, but tonight she pitied them, for this lord always touched them in inappropriate places when Randa wasn't looking.

And even now, he was doing it again. It was a game to him – searching with his brown eyes until he found suitable prey, usually a young serving girl. Once he beckoned her over, he would make her stand there, his eyes roaming all over her body. And after that, his hand would reach out and touch the girl, and once she jumped back, he would grin and send them away, saying that he had gotten what he had needed.

Even at the age of 8, Katsa understood his meaning in his words. Disgust filled her at the sight of this human predator, this lord who was somehow related to her. But she could not do anything. The courtiers avoided her eyes, and Randa would simply dismiss it and laugh. She couldn't even approach children her own age, for they all ran from her. No one liked the Graced.

"Katsa, my dear." The voice of the lord rang out, soft enough so no one else could hear. "Could you come for a moment? I would like to talk to you."

Fury filled Katsa at that moment. She would not go. They could not make her. She knew his game, and now he was pulling her into it.

"Katsa?" Lord Aaron called, his voice growing louder. He was smart, she knew, to call loudly enough that everyone could hear. They would wonder why, and then they would talk more. He was smart, and she hated him for his cleverness.

With her hatred still burning within, she made her way to him. There were no seats beside him, only room to stand. She stood, focusing her gaze on him. Katsa knew it unnerved people, that it scared them away.

"Such a pretty little one," he said softly, predatory eyes roaming once again, this time on _her_ body. "Graceling eyes can be so very unattractive. But you, lucky girl, look better for it. What is your Grace, my sweetness? Storytelling? Mind reading? I know. You're a dancer."

Katsa scowled ferociously. How dare he call her pet names? Besides, her Grace was unknown, but she would never talk to this man, this cousin of hers. Katsa turned away, but it was too late. She sensed that his hand, that hand that touched so many others before her, was reaching towards her leg.

Katsa spun, and her small hand lashed out and hit his face. He slumped, his eyes wide and staring, and the sound of bone against tile caused Lady Alexa, and several others, to scream. Lady Katherine fainted at the sight of a deep red blood pooling around the cousin.

Katsa ran. She ran towards the door, her only escape. Some eyes followed her, but most were too busy staring at the man on the floor. As she wrenched the door open, a voice of a guard reached her ears.

"He is dead." There were soft whispers from the guards, something about the bones smashed into the brains. Katsa didn't understand how she could hear them, since they were so far away from her.

The girl froze, and now the entire court turned towards her, faces full of terror. Not just the court, but the guards, the king – even the servants stared in horror. In that moment, Katsa felt like she could read everyone's mind. Her Grace had been revealed.

The Grace of killing.


End file.
